Essential Research and Morgan: more coronavirus polling

Two new polls suggest support for the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis is still on the rise.

I’ll be taking part in the Political Geekfest videocast through Zoom with Peter Lewis of Essential Research and Katharine Murphy of the Guardian Australia at 1pm AEST today, which you can register for here. The subject of discussion will be this:

• The Guardian reports on another Essential Research poll focusing mostly on coronavirus, which would appear to be a weekly thing at least for the time being. The latest poll finds 59% rating the government’s response as about right, up from 46% last week and 39% in the two previous weekly polls; 13% rating it an overreaction, continuing its downward trajectory from 33% to 18% to 17%; and 29% rating it an underreaction, which bounced around over the first three weeks from 28% to 43% to 37%. Respondents were also asked to rate their state governments’ reactions, though with sample sizes too small to be of that much use at the individual level: the combined responses for very good and quite good were at 56% for New South Wales, 76% for Victoria, 52% for Queensland, 79% for Western Australia and 72% for South Australia. The poll also records a surprisingly high level of general morale, producing an average 6.7 rating on a scale of one to ten, unchanged from May last year. The full report should be published later today. UPDATE: Full report here.

• Also apparently a weekly thing is Roy Morgan’s coronavirus polling, which is being conducted online and not by SMS as I previously assumed – indeed, I believe this is the first online polling Morgan has ever published. Last week’s tranche showed a sharp rise in approval of the government’s handling of the matter from a week previous, with 21% strongly agreeing the government was handling the matter well (up twelve), 44% less strongly agreeing (up ten), 23% disagreeing (down ten) and 6% strongly disagreeing (down ten). Respondents had also become more optimistic since the previous week (59% saying the worst was yet to come, down 26 points, 33% saying the situation would remain the same, up 22 points, and 8% expecting things to improve, up four), and, contra Essential, slightly more inclined to consider the threat was being exaggerated (up five points to 20%, with disagreement down six to 75%). The poll was conducted last weekend from a sample of 987.

Author: William Bowe

William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.

1,397 comments on “Essential Research and Morgan: more coronavirus polling”

Comments Page 18 of 28
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  2. Having just berated the lack of a true global medical response, I see Trump has just canned funding of the WHO, right when it is needed most. He is unhinged. Unless Covid 19 is brought under control all over Asia, Africa and latin America, as well as Europe and USA, there will be no quarantine free international travel until there is a vaccine that has been implemented world wide.

  3. No ‘handout’ by the Morrison gov is ever what it’s cracked up to be. Bushfire recovery seems to have fallen into a hole, too.

    @deemadigan
    ·
    4m
    The jobkeeper isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be.You have to bankroll all your staff for 6 weeks, and it’s based on last year’s revenue not current profitability. So,if you’ve recently hired more staff or invested in your business, you may not qualify

  4. poroti:

    Tom Nichols@RadioFreeTom
    ·
    9m
    Tomorrow your drunk uncle at dinner will be railing at you about all the mistakes that were made by the WHO that Trump could not possibly have foreseen and that you politically correct jerks don’t understand how great he is, and then he will bombard you with memes in your emails.

  5. You gotta remember whilst Trump engages in his shit show and distracting all and sundry. What is happening behind the scenes.
    He and his cronies continue to raid the treasury. As surely as the sunrises in the morning

  7. I’m not comfortable with the ‘Footy-led Social/Economic Recovery’ that’s being heavily pushed in the media at the moment.

    I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that it will end in tears.

  8. There is no way I’d be booking a cruise at the moment. Not because I have a problem with Cruising, I’ve actually enjoyed the cruises I’ve been on and will likely go again. I’m particularly keen on cruising Antarctica.
    HOWEVER … the current business model for Cruise lines is unsustainable, unethical and was always going to become problematic at some point in time. The same can be said for a lot of other businesses out there.
    No travel insurance company will cover lost deposits and fares paid for since the Corona pandemic became a known event. Carnival will likely go into bankruptcy and come out the other side a completely different company. Anyone with deposits or pre-paid fares will lose them.
    Cruise ships tend to have a single port of operations, for example the Sea Princess and Pacific Dawn operate from Brisbane. Governments could easily address the issues by insisting that Cruise Companies register ships home ports as being the primary port of operations.
    Of course thanks to John Howard’s changes to commercial shipping in Australia flags of convenience have also become a thing for our merchant shipping as well. If all ships operating from within Australian Waters must be registered in Australia then we have control. Of course the RWNJ shills would scream about how this raises costs but only in as much as costs born from ensuring the cruise and shipping companies obey Australian law.
    As for other off shore companies I think a simple one line addition to the tax law would fix OS registration, a company must pay tax based on the profits they decare to the Tax department OR the profits they declare to their shareholders (wherever the profits are declared), whichever is the greater. Thus if the likes of Newcorp declare a loss in Australia but declare a profit on the NYSE for their Australian Operations the tax department simply adjusts the taxes owing according to the NYSE declaration.

  9. Confessions

    I watch Fox News every now and again to see what their talking points are. You get a good ‘heads up’ as to who is in the blame game firing line and all the ‘conspiracy de jour’ stories. See them there, then in the next day or so hear them or read them repeated by the ‘usual suspects’ in politics and the meeja.

  10. Victoria @ #854 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:17 am

    You gotta remember whilst Trump engages in his shit show and distracting all and sundry. What is happening behind the scenes.
    He and his cronies continue to raid the treasury. As surely as the sunrises in the morning

    That’s why the Democrats have refused to sign off on the latest rescue package. It has come from the White House smelling very Trumpy.

  11. Socrates @ #851 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:13 am

    Having just berated the lack of a true global medical response, I see Trump has just canned funding of the WHO, right when it is needed most. He is unhinged. Unless Covid 19 is brought under control all over Asia, Africa and latin America, as well as Europe and USA, there will be no quarantine free international travel until there is a vaccine that has been implemented world wide.

    The implosion of the global influence of the US is too great and too fast to comprehend. It started immediately with his pulling out of Paris. Then Nato. Now this. For all its faults, and sins, it was some sort of uber rich glue that for better or worse held things in the West together. And over easter, the Pope was warning about the impending collapse of European centrality.

    Learning Mandarin never seemed so important.

  12. Interesting to see what percentage of people, who have had prison sentences overturned by the entry of an acquittal, would decline the chance to be interviewed.

    Those whom I have dealt with professionally (in my case only persons remanded in custody for many months before the charges were dropped) have always suffered psychological injury.

  13. Cat
    “ I’m not comfortable with the ‘Footy-led Social/Economic Recovery’ that’s being heavily pushed in the media at the moment.”

    Yes it will make bugger all difference to the general economy and jobs. But broadcast sport is a big revenue earner for media. Not to mention it fills up hours of broadcasting time with content they otherwise have to pay fees for.

  14. ‘Scout says:
    Wednesday, April 15, 2020 at 7:44 am

    poroti –

    But it is not the Border Forces responsibility to be involved in Health related matters

    The mega department was built to stop this bullshit. Multiple fails.’

    Yep but that is not what you will hear from Scotty from marketing ……you will hear Border Force is not responsible for Health related matters, that is the responsibility of NSW Health.

    And the press will not question him on this , the general populous will nod along with Scotty from marketing and say reckon he has done a great job throughout this. Australia is better off than other countries.

    etc
    etc
    etc

    the polls will reflect this

  15. Confessions @ #852 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 7:14 am

    poroti:

    Tom Nichols@RadioFreeTom
    ·
    9m
    Tomorrow your drunk uncle at dinner will be railing at you about all the mistakes that were made by the WHO that Trump could not possibly have foreseen and that you politically correct jerks don’t understand how great he is, and then he will bombard you with memes in your emails.

    Well, if you’re having your drunk uncle over for dinner at this time, you probably deserve it!

  16. I value Dena Grayson observations.

    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    33m
    Police cars revolving light2 years before the #CoronavirusPandemic, US officials visited #Wuhan’s virology lab and warned DC that the lab’s work on bat coronaviruses and their potential human transmission represented a risk of a new #SARS-like #pandemic.Flushed face

    #COVID19
    @ericgarland
    Opinion | State Department cables warned of safety issues at Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses
    The U.S. government is still trying to understand the origins of covid-19.
    washingtonpost.com
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    32m
    #China’s research was supposedly designed to prevent the next #SARS-like #pandemic, but scientists question whether they took unnecessary risks (yes).

    There is NO evidence the new #coronavirus was engineered, “but that is not the same as saying it didn’t come from the lab.”Face with symbols over mouth
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    32m
    The diplomatic cables sounded an alarm about the “grave safety concerns” at the #Wuhan lab, especially its dangerous work with bat coronaviruses.

    The cables also suggest the possibility that the #pandemic could be the result of a lab accident (or leak) in #Wuhan.
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    32m
    “The idea that it was just a totally natural occurrence is circumstantial. The evidence it leaked from the lab is circumstantial. Right now, the ledger on the side of it leaking from the lab is packed with bullet points and there’s almost nothing on the other side.”
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    32m
    #China’s story—that the #coronavirus emerged from a #Wuhan seafood market—is shaky. Research from China published in January showed that Patient 0–identified on 12/1–had no connection to the market, nor did >1/3 of the cases in the 1st cluster. Also, the market didn’t sell bats.
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    ·
    32m
    Again, there’s NO evidence that this new #coronavirus was specifically engineered or purposely released. But it’s plausible that the virus accidentally “leaked” from the #Wuhan biocontainment lab.

    The mere fact that this is even a possibility should raise ALARMS.
    Dr. Dena Grayson
    @DrDenaGrayson
    I’ve been inside the US’ biosafety level 4 (BSL-4) lab. These BSL-4 labs are specifically designed and operated to contain the world’s most dangerous pathogens WITHOUT leaking.

    The world must demand that #China provide full transparency of its research and operations in #Wuhan.

  17. Trump threatens to leave press briefing after being asked about his coronavirus testing failures

    Following President Donald Trump’s aggressive attacks on the World Health Organization at Tuesday’s coronavirus press briefing, several reporters pointed out that the WHO wasn’t responsible for key failures of the U.S. government, including the ongoing shortage of COVID-19 tests in many regions of the country.

    The president quickly grew angry in response to the questioning — and ultimately threatened to leave the press conference.

    “It’s up to the governors,” said Trump. “It hasn’t been up to the federal government.”

    One reporter pointed out that the governors “are following your lead,” at which point Trump started shouting, “If you keep talking I’ll leave and you can have it out with the rest of these people … just a loudmouth.”

    https://www.rawstory.com/2020/04/trump-threatens-to-leave-press-briefing-after-being-asked-about-his-coronavirus-testing-failures/

  20. Tweets & replies
    Media
    Likes
    Tea Pain’s Tweets
    Tea Pain
    @TeaPainUSA
    ·
    3m
    Trump’s chain of blame

    1) China
    2) Democrats
    3) CDC
    4) Obama
    5) WHO
    6) Previous Administrations

    Did Tea miss anything

  21. GoldenSmaug @ #857 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:19 am

    There is no way I’d be booking a cruise at the moment. Not because I have a problem with Cruising, I’ve actually enjoyed the cruises I’ve been on and will likely go again. I’m particularly keen on cruising Antarctica.
    HOWEVER … the current business model for Cruise lines is unsustainable, unethical and was always going to become problematic at some point in time. The same can be said for a lot of other businesses out there.
    No travel insurance company will cover lost deposits and fares paid for since the Corona pandemic became a known event. Carnival will likely go into bankruptcy and come out the other side a completely different company. Anyone with deposits or pre-paid fares will lose them.
    Cruise ships tend to have a single port of operations, for example the Sea Princess and Pacific Dawn operate from Brisbane. Governments could easily address the issues by insisting that Cruise Companies register ships home ports as being the primary port of operations.
    Of course thanks to John Howard’s changes to commercial shipping in Australia flags of convenience have also become a thing for our merchant shipping as well. If all ships operating from within Australian Waters must be registered in Australia then we have control. Of course the RWNJ shills would scream about how this raises costs but only in as much as costs born from ensuring the cruise and shipping companies obey Australian law.
    As for other off shore companies I think a simple on line addition to the tax law would fix OS registration, a company must pay tax based on the profits they decare to the Tax department OR the profits they declare to their shareholders (wherever the profits are declared), whichever is the greater. Thus if the likes of Newcorp declare a loss in Australia but declare a profit on the NYSE for their Australian Operations the tax department simply adjusts the taxes owing according to the NYSE declaration.

    The Greg Mortimer, Aurora’s new posh flag ship, will carry a bit of a stain for a while. Greg Mortimer was the first Australian to climb Everest, and with his wife Margaret, founded the original company. We went to Antartica with them on the Polar Pioneer – a fantastic small (50 passenger) ice hardened Finnish built expedition ship crewed by Russians.

    Anyway, if you get a chance to go, go. It is one of those things that is unimaginable. While you can sort of extrapolate what most places are like, from similar experiences or film or stories, Antarctica falls into that category where you really need to go to understand it – the light for one thing is inexplicably beautiful beyond words.

  22. Seems to me that the biggest IMMEDIATE threat from Covid-19 is that politicians are jostling to be the try and grab the popularity and profile of being the first to lift travel, work and contact restrictions?? 🙁

    That’s seriously dangerous.

    Article linked up-thread on elimination was a reasonable on i think. Once new infections (given broader testing) are down to 5 or less a day for a couple of weeks?? Yup, then start pulling things back. BUT, no way is that going to be practical until you have rapid tests widely available and accurate to underpin it.

    If some of the treatment trials /options work out as well makes it safer until a vaccine gets up.

  23. Oh dear, the mundo’s moaner express might have to pull into the station, I just heard two of Labor’s spokespeople on the radio just now-Tanya Plibersek on Morrison’s mixed education messages and Catherine King on the Morrison government’s intransigence on taking an equity stake in Virgin so as to protect 15000 Aussie jobs.

    Hmm, that makes THREE statements before 9.30am this morning from Labor Shadow Ministers, and 2 of them were played on the radio not just press releases.

    I guess that still won’t be good enough for mundo though. 😐

  24. A classic line from The Chaser (@chaser)

    ABC announces it will punish reporters who criticised Pell, by moving them to another parish

  25. Socrates @ #862 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:23 am

    Cat
    “ I’m not comfortable with the ‘Footy-led Social/Economic Recovery’ that’s being heavily pushed in the media at the moment.”

    Yes it will make bugger all difference to the general economy and jobs. But broadcast sport is a big revenue earner for media. Not to mention it fills up hours of broadcasting time with content they otherwise have to pay fees for.

    I’m just worried that because both footy codes are full body contact sports with no protection against the other players, complete with blood, sweat and tears, that all you need is one player to have picked COVID-19 up from somewhere and away it goes. 🙁

  27. C@tmomma @ #874 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:46 am

    Socrates @ #862 Wednesday, April 15th, 2020 – 9:23 am

    Cat
    “ I’m not comfortable with the ‘Footy-led Social/Economic Recovery’ that’s being heavily pushed in the media at the moment.”

    Yes it will make bugger all difference to the general economy and jobs. But broadcast sport is a big revenue earner for media. Not to mention it fills up hours of broadcasting time with content they otherwise have to pay fees for.

    I’m just worried that because both footy codes are full body contact sports with no protection against the other players, complete with blood, sweat and tears, that all you need is one player to have picked COVID-19 up from somewhere and away it goes. 🙁

    You forgot slobber and snot.

  28. Imacca

    I expect that the first areas where restrictions can be lifted are where there would be greater community benefit eg health services such as elective surgery, dentists etc.

    Public hospitals currently have high staff levels and are running at 30% to 50% below normal activity levels. Private hospitals are either closed or running at significantly reduced numbers also.

    There is evidence that the population are not seeking medical care which is harming their health. Opening up health services will help remedy this issue

    Any lifting of restrictions would such as those above MUST be in conjunction with existing travel restrictions and social distancing to limit any spread.

  30. Lizzie, ‘ever what it’s cracked up to be. Bushfire recovery seems to have fallen into a hole, too.’

    There is one unintended consequences of that ‘hole’ that is a relief.

    One poster earlier complained that very few businesses close by her received very little to no bushfire relief. Since then she has ceased posting ‘helpful’ comments about Labor.

  32. Dio, that is what I heard too. The cancer ward was declared ‘low risk’ and therefore the medical staff did not need (and therefore not supplied) PPE.

    I can see putting medical staff in a dangerous work environment without proper protective gear as placing the health department in a very vulnerable legal position.

  34. Phillip Lodge
    @phlogga
    ·
    15m
    Stopping the boats was easy when you spent $billions on turning leaky old fishing boats around but not so easy when it’s a $billion cruise liner with 2000 cashed up baby boomers on board. Where’s Dutton now? The Big Bad Boogyman is hiding away in some dark corner, it seems.

    Actually, quite a few of our LNP ‘stars’ are keeping stum right now.

  35. “Public hospitals currently have high staff levels and are running at 30% to 50% below normal activity levels. Private hospitals are either closed or running at significantly reduced numbers also.”

    Personally been in public hospital as a private patient13 days out of the last 2 1/2 weeks. Bad turn, induced bike accident (stacked commuter bike 🙁 ), and then odd follow up migraine headache they scanned me for. Looked after very well, no gap fee’s. Noticed while i was there that they were well into the process of making space for coronavirus patients. Hopefully, the lockdown goes on for long enough so all those preps aren’t needed now, and we dont get significant 2nd or 3rd waves.

    Be interesting to see when they start to reopen the intrastate travel borders over here. Interstate restrictions will be up for a while yet but local restrictions may start being reduced in 3-4 weeks??

  37. @AaronDodd
    ·
    6m
    Let’s be clear. The decision to send kids back to school is the responsibility of the Premiers not Morrison. Yesterday he called for the “National Cabinet” to be permanent. Today his demands to re-open schools directly undermines those same Premiers. Morrison is an idiot. #auspol

  38. @MadamEarth
    ·
    2h
    New Word of the Day – FATBERG

    A giant fatberg weighing 42 tonnes has been removed from a Melbourne sewer, taking crews nine hours to dislodge. The fatberg was made up of wet wipes, rags, tissues, paper towels and sanitary products.

  39. Everyone who is going to be involved in footy (players, umpires, etc) are going to have to enter a 14 day quarantine before any games can begin and all involved will be screened. It’s going to have to be the same routine for all sports for the foreseeable future. I think the Australian Open tennis will be subject to this. If New Zealand manage to eliminate the disease, then they will bypass the 14 day waiting period. It’s about creating bubbles of Covid-free locations and expanding them.

  40. Schools are reopen in Victoria. Difference now is only a small cohort of students are in attendance whilst the majority of learning is being done online.
    This will be how term 2 will operate.
    If containment of virus goes well.
    There could well be a change in the second half of year.

  41. [#breaking Smethurst has won high court challenge, the raid warrant was invalid. The warrant is quashed, but only two judges ordered material be destroyed. So a mixed result, partial win but still at risk of police using info. #auspol #auslaw]

    Not returning the material including copies etc would just create another wave of litigation.

  45. Crying Jim Chalmers just repeats homilies that have little meaning but which the ALP stooges read great things within. He should be replaced by Dr Leigh.

  46. Matthew Doran
    @MattDoran91
    ·
    10m
    #BREAKING Annika Smethurst and News Corp have won their appeal to the High Court. The AFP search warrant used on her Canberra hone was deemed invalid
    @abcnews

    @politicsabc
    #auspol

  48. No doubt, everyone is busy downloading the app that gives the Overlords your kind permission to track every movement you make from now till eternity.

  49. Louise Milligan
    @Milliganreports
    ·
    18h
    I am told there are complaints in more than one jurisdiction. That is, not just Victoria. And they are more recent. #Pell.

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